25 years IDS
"The will to create something new is firmly anchored in all of us"
founded in 1997 as a small two-man company for industrial cameras, today, 25 years later, we look back with gratitude on our company history.
The last two years have put enormous pressure on companies worldwide. As a medium-sized company, we still face many challenges: The worldwide shortage of semiconductors as well as tense supply chains with regard to essential electronic components also affect the production of our cameras. However, if there is one thing that we as a company have proven time and again, it is our willingness to change - often as pioneers. We are therefore responding to the tense global economic situation in our anniversary year with flexibility and creativity: Short-term near-term development of new hardware platforms, proactive corrections in development focus and effective supplier management are designed to secure the flow of goods and dampen the impact of the current situation.
Seeing machines: Sharpening the eye for new things
With our industrial cameras, we have been providing the eye for a wide range of technical solutions in the fields of automation and robotics for many years. In addition to pure "machine vision", there is a particular demand for intelligent image processing components that process images at high speed and with high resolution and interact with systems that enable lightning-fast decisions, control and automate processes. This clearly shows how the market is changing: Meanwhile, it's about more than just developing easy-to-use camera techniques. Instead, the applications are much more in the foreground and the tasks of our customers are becoming increasingly complex.The company around founder and visionary Jürgen Hartmann is therefore currently focusing on the question of how our products can contribute even more to developing innovations that have a positive impact on people, the environment and society.
Smart technologies: Open up new fields of application
"The idea of innovation that has always prevailed at IDS and the will to create something new are firmly anchored in all of us," explains IDS Managing Director and son of the company founder Jan Hartmann. In order to be well positioned for the coming years and to keep a finger on the pulse of the times, it is irreplaceable to look beyond one's own nose and set one's sights on new technologies. "Artificial intelligence is a good example. It is now on everyone's lips, but very few companies are already using the technology. AI solves tasks that classical image processing usually fails at and thus opens up completely new fields of application," Jan Hartmann continues. New areas where we will be more active in the future include, for example, transport and smart city, environment and smart farming. With visionpier, the online marketplace for machine vision, IDS is building a virtual bridge between users - with or without machine vision experience - and providers of turnkey vision solutions from these, but also many other application areas. The expansion of the business focus not only means setting up our own company more broadly for the coming years, but also penetrating industries in which we can make a direct positive effect on growing socio-political challenges.
Step by step: From Obersulm into the world
Since its foundation in 1997, IDS has evolved enormously, but the core has always remained the same. The development and production site in Obersulm now employs 330 people from a wide range of disciplines. In addition, there are locations all over the world. But regional networking remains just as important: in 2020, the company moved into the state-of-the-art technology centre b39 - a commitment to the site. Cooperation with start-ups and young technology pioneers in the region is to be further expanded. Despite all our growth, as a family business we do not lose sight of our responsibility for people and the environment and are proud that sustainability in production and shipping, fairness towards business partners and a strong sense of family are an important part of our identity. With these tools, we have set the course for the future together with all our employees and partners. To use the words of our founder Jürgen Hartmann: "We still have many more ideas than we can implement. That's a good thing.”
Company history: Local hero and global player at the same time
From a two-man company to a pioneer in image processing - milestones in the company's history
IDS in numbers
1997: Foundation of IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH
Jürgen Hartmann founds the company together with Armin Vogt in Obersulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
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1997: Foundation of IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH
#Framegrabber #Foundation#1997
Jürgen Hartmann founds the company together with Armin Vogt in Obersulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Initially, the focus is on the production of frame grabbers or PC plug-in cards for converting analogue images into digital ones.
1998 - 2003: The first years of the company
Shortly after its foundation, IDS introduces the first generation of the Video Compression Board PIRANHA, which is continuously optimised in the following years.
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1998 - 2003: The first years of the company
#PIRANHA#iGuard#1998-2003
Shortly after its foundation, IDS introduces the first generation of the Video Compression Board PIRANHA, which is continuously optimised in the following years. With iGuard, the company also launches digital video management software for security technology. The new company building in Obersulm grows in parallel with the increasing number of employees.
2004: Transformation into a manufacturer of digital industrial cameras
The family-owned company from Obersulm introduces its first industrial camera with USB interface in April 2004.
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2004: Transformation into a manufacturer of digital industrial cameras
#Industry#USB#2004
The family-owned company from Obersulm introduces its first industrial camera with USB interface in April 2004. "At first we were ridiculed for this," remembers company founder Jürgen Hartmann. "But we made USB suitable for industry." IDS is thus one of the pioneers to use this technology for its high-performance digital industrial cameras.
2007: From Obersulm into the world
Due to its success on the domestic market, IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH ventures its first own step into international terrain:
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2007: From Obersulm into the world
#Woburn#USA#2007
Due to its success on the domestic market, IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH ventures its first own step into international terrain: IDS opens another subsidiary in Woburn near Boston (USA). At the same time, the manufacturer's first Gigabit Ethernet industrial camera is launchedDue to its success on the domestic market, IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH ventures its first own step into international terrain: IDS opens another subsidiary in Woburn near Boston (USA). At the same time, the manufacturer's first Gigabit Ethernet industrial camera is launched.
2010 - 2012: A new USB standard for the 15-year anniversary
IDS is now also present on the Asian market with its new branch in Tokyo (Japan).
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2010 - 2012: A new USB standard for the 15-year anniversary
#USB3.0#VISION#15years
IDS is now also present on the Asian market with its new branch in Tokyo (Japan). A location in Paris (France) follows shortly afterwards. On the product side, IDS will present its first USB 3.0 industrial camera at VISION Stuttgart, the leading trade fair for industrial image processing, in 2011.
2013 - 2016: First 3D industrial camera and award-winning pioneering work
IDS has established itself as a manufacturer of industrial cameras. Always on the lookout for new innovative ideas, the first Ensenso 3D camera is launched in 2013.
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2013 - 2016: First 3D industrial camera and award-winning pioneering work
#Industrialcameras#3D#Innovation
IDS has established itself as a manufacturer of industrial cameras. Always on the lookout for new innovative ideas, the first Ensenso 3D camera is launched in 2013. In the same year, it's "IDS goes UK": A sales office is opened in Basingstoke near London (UK). Two years later, one follows in Seoul (South Korea). Both locations become their own branches a short time later. From the very beginning, IDS broke new ground and thus quickly advanced to become a pioneer in the field of industrial image processing. For this forward-thinking spirit, the company was awarded the TOP 100 Award for innovation success, making it one of the most innovative companies in the German SME sector.
2017 - 2019: „It’s so easy!“
With IDS NXT, the family-owned company presents a new generation of devices with vision app-based image processing.
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2017 - 2019: „It’s so easy!“
#VisionApp #KI #It´ssoeasy
With IDS NXT, the family-owned company presents a new generation of devices with vision app-based image processing. The special thing: The products are ready for use with AI-powered software. At the same time, in keeping with the company motto "It's so easy", IDS peak, a new hardware-independent camera host software, is introduced that simplifies the handling of vision cameras.
2020: First camera series with artificial intelligence (AI)
23 years after its foundation, big steps are ahead.
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2020: First camera series with artificial intelligence (AI)
#IDSNXT#DeepLearning#b39
23 years after its foundation, big steps are ahead. With the IDS NXT platform, IDS introduces app-based embedded vision systems with artificial intelligence, which facilitates the entry into image processing with Deep Learning and makes it accessible for all companies. The b39 innovation and technology centre is moved into at the founding location in Obersulm. In addition, Jan Hartmann, son of the company founder, joins the management.
2021 - IDS becomes climate neutral - and introduces the Vision Channel
"Knowledge becomes more when you share it" - under this motto, the IDS Vision Channel #IDSVisionChannel is launched in 2021.
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2021 - IDS becomes climate neutral - and introduces the Vision Channel
#IDSVisionChannel#climateneutral#visionpier
"Knowledge becomes more when you share it" - under this motto, the IDS Vision Channel is launched in 2021. In addition to regular online events, practical tools such as calendars or live chats, IDS also offers customers and partners a media library with recordings of past sessions and additional, exclusive content. Despite all its growth, the company does not lose sight of its responsibility for people and the environment. In addition to fairness towards business partners and employees and a strong sense of family, this also includes sustainability. IDS has been completely climate-neutral since 2021. The management is now supported by Alexander Lewinsky. In the same year, the online marketplace visionpier is founded, bringing together suppliers and users. The latter get easy and fast access to concrete solutions for image processing tasks. The provider side, in turn, can save valuable development time through synergy effects from applications that have already been implemented.
Today - 350 employees and many ideas for the next years
By the company’s 25th anniversary, the number of employees has risen to 350. What was once a two-man operation has become an established medium-sized company that is firmly anchored in the region and at the same time globally networked.
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Today - 350 employees and many ideas for the next years
#25years#HTC#2022
By the company’s 25th anniversary, the number of employees has risen to 350. What was once a two-man operation has become an established medium-sized company that is firmly anchored in the region and at the same time globally networked. At the beginning of the year, a representative office was established on the High Tech Campus (HTC for short) in Eindhoven. IDS meets current challenges such as the global semiconductor shortage, strained supply chains with regard to essential electronic components and the resulting longer delivery times with flexibility and creativity: Short-term development of new hardware platforms, proactive corrections in development focus and effective supplier management are designed to secure the flow of goods and dampen the effects of the general crisis.
And tomorrow?
"We still have more ideas than we can implement," explains founder Jürgen Hartmann, reaffirming IDS's ambition to continue to lead the way as a pioneer in the future.
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And tomorrow?
#future#pioneer#KI
"We still have more ideas than we can implement," explains founder Jürgen Hartmann, reaffirming IDS's ambition to continue to lead the way as a pioneer in the future. With its broad-based camera portfolio, IDS intends to penetrate further industries in the coming years. Whether in equipment, plant and mechanical engineering, medical technology, agriculture or logistics - machine vision solutions are used in a wide variety of industries and scenarios to accelerate, control and optimise processes. When artificial intelligence comes into play, the range of applications becomes much wider. IDS cameras set new standards for applications in the areas of traffic & smart city, environment & smart farming and industry & automation.